JFK Assassination, 50 Years Later: Alternate Theories Persist

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — With the coming 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination this week, a new book is out on the subject.

The book, titled A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination, was written by New York Times reporter Philip Shenon, who says the Warren Commission botched the investigation of the president’s death in many ways.

Shenon says one reason for the ineptitude was Chief Justice Earl Warren’s horror at the autopsy photos, and his conversation with the young Arlen Specter, who was on the commission.

“(The) chief justice takes one look at the autopsy photos and decides they’re so horrible, they will be shown to nobody — nobody on the staff, none of the other commissioners. And Specter, who’s responsible for the medical evidence, says, ‘That’s ridiculous — they are the essential medical evidence.’ ”

Shenon says there were also people on the commission whose job was to make sure certain evidence never saw the light of day.

Stay tuned to KYW Newsradio 1060 and CBS Philly all week long for a special series of reports marking the 50th anniversary this Friday of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Kim Glovas has been covering breaking and developing news as a reporter for KYW Newsradio since 1984, winning honors for “Regional Affairs Council” reporting along the way.
She has been honored by a number of professional organizations including...